Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur have become the first two women to qualify for the WTA Finals this year. Swiatek beat Jabeur in the final of the US Open to capture her second major title of the year and both players have accumulated enough points to guarantee their spots in Fort Worth, Texas at the end of October. In total, eight players will qualify for the season-ending tournament, which adopts a round-robin format. The eight players will be split into two groups of four, with the top two from each group then facing off in the semi-finals. 

How did Swiatek and Jabeur qualify? 

Swiatek has won a tour-leading seven tournaments this season, including the Sunshine Double, Roland-Garros and the US Open. 

Six of these wins came during a remarkable 37-match winning streak, which surpassed Venus Williams’ previous record this millennium. 

With 55 wins so far in 2022, Swiatek has won more matches than any other player on Tour and has lost just seven times. 

The 21-year-old is the top-ranked player in the world, having assumed the ranking from the now retired Ash Barty, and victory at the WTA Finals would cap off a stunning season.

“I’m really excited to qualify for the WTA Finals this year for the second time in my career and I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the fans in Fort Worth,” the world number one said. 

Meanwhile, Jabeur has also enjoyed a memorable year –– reaching the final of Wimbledon and in New York. 

The Tunisian narrowly missed out on securing a spot in the Tour Finals last year but has become the first Arab woman to ever qualify for the event. 

Swiatek
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Ons Jabeur of Tunisia during their Women’s Singles Final match on Day Thirteen of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 10, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Jabeur also won the biggest competition of her career at the Madrid Open and secured another title in Berlin. 

As of now, she is ranked second in the world –– making her the highest-ranked African tennis player of all-time. 

Who else will qualify for the Finals? 

While only Swiatek and Jabeur have secured their qualification, there are a number of others who are all but certain to feature in Texas. 

US stars Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are currently third and fourth respectively in the Race, while US Open semi-finalist Caroline Garcia is fifth. 

Coco Gauff
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 06: Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates a point against Caroline Garcia of France during their Women’s Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Nine of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Former world number two Aryna Sabalenka is sixth as it stands, with Daria Kasatkina and Simona Halep making up the top eight. 

Greece’s Maria Sakkari as well as Veronika Kudermetova are narrowly behind Halep and still have time to make the cut.